The Women's United Soccer Association, often abbreviated to the WUSA, was the world's first women's soccer league in which all the players were paid as professionals. Founded in February 2000, the league began its first season in April 2001 with eight teams in the United States. The league suspended operations on September 15, 2003, shortly after the end of its third season, after making cumulative losses of around US $100 million.

Women's association football, also commonly known as women's football or women's soccer is the most prominent team sport played by women around the globe. It is played at the professional level in numerous countries throughout the world and 176 national teams participate internationally.

The Washington Freedom was an American professional soccer club based in the Washington, D.C., suburb of Germantown, Maryland, that participated in Women's Professional Soccer. The Freedom was founded in 2001 as a member of the defunct Women's United Soccer Association. Beginning in 2004, the Freedom played its home games at the Maryland SoccerPlex. In 2011, the team relocated to Boca Raton, Florida, and became magicJack.

Contents

Competition format

Each team played a total of 21 games, three against each opponent (either twice at home and once away or vice versa). This caused an uneven schedule with teams hosting either 10 or 11 home games each.

The four teams with the most points from the regular season qualified for the playoffs. The regular season champions and runners-up hosted the fourth- and third-placed teams, respectively, in the single-game semifinals on August 17. The winners of the semifinals met at Torero Stadium in San Diego, California for the final on August 24.

Torero Stadium is a 6,000-seat stadium in San Diego, California. It was built in 1961. It is home to the University of San Diego football team, which plays in the NCAA Pioneer Football League, the University of San Diego soccer team, which plays in the NCAA West Coast Conference, the San Diego Legion team, which plays in the Major League Rugby league, and formerly the San Diego Breakers, playing in the PRO Rugby competition.

Standings

Blue denotes team has clinched regular season championship.Green denotes team has spot in 2003 WUSA Playoffs.[1]

See also

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